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Monday, April 17, 2017

Who among us wants another Stephen Harper-style government when May 9, 2017 arrives? Very few, I suspect. Liberals and Conservatives are cut from the same cloth and subject to breaking promises. The majority of Canadians voted for Justin Trudeau believing electoral reform would happen, which would provide a voter with some power, at least in theory. “This will be the last election using FPTP,” promised Mr. Trudeau. Sadly, he broke this critically important promise. It reminded me of Stephen Harper's litany of broken promises. If the link is broken, let me know. I saved a pdf version of this article.

What do you suppose Christy Clark and Stephen Harper are cooking up for British Colombians in 2017?

Many people had hoped that once we elected Harper out of office, that we would see the last of him. Most unfortunately for B.C., that is not so. The B.C. Liberals have hired many of his staff, including Harper himself, now pre-election, provincially. Provincial Liberals are hoping all the conservatives will be voting for Christy Clark, and thus breathe new life into their corrupt and failing political organization.

Okay, now that we know what kind of government we don’t want, let’s get clear on what we do want.

First, we want a government of the people. One of the tools that corrupt governments use are private foundations. They sponsor $10,000 per plate dinners and invite their pet corporations to this “pay-to-play” dinner where they can buy government favors. How do you think the KM pipeline project began? Or LNG factories? Or Site C Dam promises? Or fracking for gas? Yes, these babies were all incubated at such elite fundraising events. Let’s ensure these bad-for-BC businesses are never birthed! You may be interested to know that until recently, all parties accepted corporate or union donations. Recently, the Green Party of Canada announced they would no longer accept corporate or union donations. Their party is now supported exclusively by us, the people. The Greens have gained much momentum since following through on that decision.

Second, vote for a party who is committed to and has a fair vote system in their election platform. We the people deserve representation in government. It’s our tax dollars at stake, after all. Let’s make our tax dollars work for us, rather than dished out to pet corporations as “subsidies.” Our tax dollars have no business being used for "share-holder" incentives. Corporations are supposed to be supported by shareholders, not tax dollars. This practice has been dubbed "Corporate Welfare" and is morally corrupt.

Don’t you think it’s time to clean up government corruption and restore democracy?

Sunday, April 16, 2017

It is now clear to me that Justin Trudeau gained political power by promising a fair voting system. Sadly, after he got elected, he quickly backed out of fulfilling that campaign promise. His inaction was a betrayal of Canadians. Many of us believe a new electoral system is much needed for citizens to be fairly represented in parliament. Currently, many of our so-called “leaders” completely ignore voters as they turn to corporate donors who pay big dollars to gain political favors. This is an absolute abuse of their power.

So, how do we make our votes count?

First, get rid of the First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system, which Canada now uses. Replace FPTP with a fair system. This short TEDx Video explains more.

Second, vote for a candidate whose platform favors a fair electoral system. Here is a short video I like about a system that New Zealand uses and their population seems to like it.

Third, get out and vote! So many people complain about government, but don’t show up at the polls. According to Wikipedia, voter turnout was 57.1% in the last provincial election. Of course the numbers varied from riding to riding. 10 of the 85 ridings had less than 50% voter turnout. Richmond and Kelowna were the only major cities with under 50% turnout. I believe that if the population that don't believe in voting would step up and take some political responsibility for what is — and isn’t — happening in this province, we could create effective democratic changes.

Are You New to Voting?

If you have never voted before, check out the Elections B.C. website. Everything you need to get started is found on the Elections B.C. website. You can vote in the 2017 Provincial General Election if you are a Canadian citizen, 18 or older on General Voting Day, and a resident of B.C. for the past six months. Elections B.C. covers subjects such as your electoral district, new voters, and a new voter's guide. Before 2006 I knew nothing about politics, but I made a new friend who helped me understand a bit about how politics works. Check out the Elections B.C. website.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Many people are becoming concerned that we are being watched by government agencies through our phones, our computers, and even our kitchen appliances! If Big Brother reads my emails, it doesn't mean the world is a safer place as a result. It just means that they have access to my emails. If they want to read my emails, then by all means, knock yourself out. The only warning I would issue is that I have a pretty boring life. I doubt very much that government has any interest in me, personally, beyond collecting taxes.

I understand what it feels like to be watched. When I was about fourteen years old, I discovered I had a voyeuristic father who climbed up on top our woodpile to watch me get ready for bed. At the time he freaked me out, but after awhile I developed strategies to evade him, such as getting undressed in the dark, when bedtime rolled around. I used my evenings to do homework. If I didn't have homework, I would read novels. My father must have been bored out of his mind.

As an adult, I apostatized from the family religion. Before the religious elders could accuse me of any "wrong-doing," they had to acquire proof of such activity. They did this, I learned, by stalking me for a time. When my dance partner and I came out from lessons, I sometimes observed familiar silhouettes skulking in the shadows of nearby bushes or behind cars. They would never say a greeting, but would only observe from a distance, then slither away after we left. Yes, they caught me red-handed with my dance shoes in hand. Indeed, it was a shocking discovery for them to find out that I was dating and having fun taking dance lessons, instead of knocking on doors and selling religious magazines.

If Big Brother is spending our tax dollars spying on ordinary citizens, then I say they are really wasting our tax dollars and yielding very little results. Not a very cost-effective project by any means. They might get better results by properly vetting immigrants and refugees, making sure they aren't terrorists and don't have criminal records before indiscriminately allowing them into Canada. It seems the governments know very little about other cultures that are at odds with our own traditions. Vet cultures that are much more aggressive than ordinary Canadians (who get laughed at for being "overly polite.") But then it has also been said that our current governments have the globalist mindset and are actually being paid to destabilize their own countries in order to have better control of their populations.

Perhaps governments have become too large. Some have become like big bullies on the playground — too much like gangs of thugs. Perhaps we the people need to rein in their powers, and reclaim those powers that we wrongly gave to them. Such leaders are undeserving of the power that we gave them. Perhaps we the people have a lesson to learn about where healthy boundaries lie when it comes to our personal power and what — if any — authority we give to these onerous governments with unruly and dishonest agendas.

My freedom of choice and my liberty is important to me. It is more important than security because I have nothing to hide by being true to myself. And like I said earlier, if Big Brother sees fit to stalk me, then knock yourself out!

About Me

After walking away from an antiquated patriarchal belief system, "Phoenix of Faith" author has her ups and downs. In her spare time, she journals, walks, and meditates using the koan, "What is vital well-being?"